3D USER INTERFACE FOR APPLICATION ENTITIES

• US 20130346911A1
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sripada, Nagaraj
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/782
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

Embodiments relate to three-dimensional user interfaces for managing and accessing applications. Applications are stored on storage of a device. A user interface is displayed on a display. The user interface includes interactively rotatable three-dimensional structures each comprised of regions, each region displaying a graphic representing a corresponding application, the applications activatable by interaction with the three-dimensional structures. Applications can be assigned to structures (volumes) manually or automatically. The three-dimensional structures may be rotated and otherwise manipulated by user input.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional user interface displayed on a display of a computing device, the user interface comprising:

a three-dimensional shape comprised of a plurality of faces, the three-dimensional shape rotating according to user input to display different of the faces as a current frontward face, the current frontward face comprising a face to which user input is directed; and

the faces corresponding to and containing respective icons of respective applications installed on the computing device, the application icons interactively activatable by a user, wherein when the three-dimensional shape is rotated by the user a new face is rotated to become the current frontward face and further user input is directed to the corresponding application.

2. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, further comprising a second three-dimensional shape, wherein a given application comprises elements comprising documents, data, or user interfaces of the given application, and wherein the elements of the application are assigned to respective faces of the second three-dimensional shape, and wherein user interactions that rotate the second three-dimensional shape concurrently control operation of the given application such that execution of the application changes when the three-dimensional shape changes.

3. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, wherein which faces contain which of the application icons is interactively controlled by the user whereby the user interactively determines which applications are contained by which of the faces.

4. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, wherein the faces of a three-dimensional shape comprise polygons, a three-dimensional shape comprises a polyhedron, and the three-dimensional user interface enables the user to interactively rotate a polyhedron to cause different of faces thereof to become the current frontward face.

5. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 4, wherein, automatically or by user input, the polyhedrons dynamically increase and decrease in number of sides, the number of faces of the polyhedron dynamically increases and decreases, or a geometric shape of the three-dimensional shape dynamically changes.

6. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional user interface enables the user to interactively attach or detach one application or an element thereof to the three-dimensional shape and/or a face thereof.

7. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, the process further comprising saving a state of the three-dimensional shape to a network resource from which it becomes available for use on another computing device.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media storing information to enable a computing device comprising, a processor, a display, and storage, to perform a process, the process comprising:

storing a plurality of applications on the storage, each application having a corresponding graphic;

displaying a user interface on the display of the computing device, the user interface comprising a plurality of interactive shapes comprising three-dimensional volumes each comprised of a respective plurality of faces, each shape having at least one rotatably changeable frontward facing face, wherein the user interface enables a user of the computing device to interactively rotate one of the shapes thereby causing a graphic three-dimensional rotation of the interacted-with shape such that a new face of the rotated shape becomes the frontward facing face of the rotated shape, and wherein execution of the applications is controlled by interaction with the three-dimensional volumes.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, wherein the user interface responds to a single rotate command from the user by simultaneously rotating each of the interactive shapes.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 9, wherein as the one of the shapes rotates from a first face to a second face, another shape with a third and fourth face simultaneously rotates the third face from facing frontward as the fourth face rotates to face frontward.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, the process further comprising responding to a search command inputted by the user to search data related to the applications by displaying the three-dimensional volumes simultaneously rotating.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 11, wherein shapes having applications that match search criteria inputted with the search command stop spinning as an application associated therewith is found.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, the process further comprising storing categories of the applications, and automatically assigning the applications to the shapes according to the categories.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, further comprising enabling the user to install new applications on the shapes, move applications between shapes, instantiate new shapes, and remove shapes.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, further comprising responding to a user selection of a given face of a given shape by newly displaying a three-dimensional application shape faces corresponding to elements of the application, the elements comprising user interfaces of the given application and/or graphical indicia of data associated with the application.

16. A method performed by a computing device comprising a processor, a display, and storage, the method comprising:

storing applications in the storage;

displaying a user interface on the display, the user interface displaying interactively rotatable three-dimensional structures each comprised of regions, each region displaying a graphic representing a corresponding application, the applications activatable by interaction with the three-dimensional structures;

allowing the user to specify which of the applications are assigned to which of the structures; and

responsive to interactive input from the user, rotating a three-dimensional structure.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising automatically responding to an event generated by an application by automatically rotating a corresponding one of the three-dimensional structures.

18. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

concurrently displaying a plurality of the three-dimensional structures; and

responding to user selection of a first one of the displayed plurality of three-dimensional structures and transitioning from displaying the plurality of three-dimensional structures to displaying the first one of the plurality of three-dimensional structures.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising allowing the user to navigate from the first one of the displayed plurality of three-dimensional structures back to the plurality of three-dimensional structures.

20. A method according to claim 16, further comprising storing first metadata about the applications and second metadata about the three-dimensional structures, and automatically assigning the applications to the three-dimensional structures based on the first metadata and the second metadata.